Williammerton



(No Model.)

W. MERTON.

METAL GANISTER AND GASE T0 FAOILITATB ITS OPENING. No. 540,507. PatentedJune 4, 1895.

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UNITE STATES,

FjPATE T OFFICE.

WILLIAM MERTON, OF HILL END, ASSIGNOR TO THE PULL WIRE TIN OPENINGCOMPANY, LIMITED, OF SYDNEY, SOUTH WALES.

METAL CANISTER AND CASE TO FACILITATEITS OPENING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 540,507, dated June 4,1895. Application filed December 28,1894. Seria1No.533,20 L (Nomodeld TaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MERTON, watchmaker, a subject of the Queenof Great Britain, residing at Hill End, in the British Colony of NewSouth Wales, have invented a new and useful Improvement in MetalCanisters and Cases to Facilitate their Opening, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to certain kinds of [o canisters and cases whichare made of tinned iron or soft metal, and are hermetically soldered soas to preserve their contents from contact with the atmosphere. Whilespecially useful for canisters and preserve cans and :5 small boxes forfood supplies this invention is equally serviceable for packing casesfor merchandise, 850. Many devices have hitherto been proposed forproducing what has been termed a self-opening tin or case,

namely, a canister or.case which contains within itself the means ordevices by which its top or side or one end maybe cut or nearly out 01fto allow access to its con tents. Among such devices have been a numberin which a wire held in or on the can is pulled or used to cut throughthe metal of the tin. Now this improvement refers particularly to theway.

in which such a cutting wire is held on the ,body of the canister,passesthrough the end 0 of a bulging on the end'or face to be removedand is looped and is then bedded in a recess for said loop in said endor face; but in order that this invention may be clearly understoodreference will now bemadeto the drawings 5 herewith, in which Figures 1and 2are sectional and plan views, respectively, of'a canister in itspacked or closed down position ready for labeling. Fig. 3 is a similarview to Fig. l of the canister in the act of being opened by thecutting-wire. Fig. 4: is a section of the canister on line ac 00,Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and dare views of enlarged joints in Figs. 1 and 3 abovepoint 1 of Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional ele- 5 vation and plan,respectively, of the canister with the wire cutting down and the lidthus formed in .Fig. 8' ready for uplifting and in Fig. 7 partiallyuplifted.

The canisters or cases are made with a groove or recess A in the outerface of the body at the highest point possible or in other words theshell of the canisters or cases terminate in an external groove A. Thecover is a rim or flanged lid which has a depression or recess 13 in itsshell or disk at the top and has a bulgingB at the periphery or wherethe flange joins the top such bulging not quite encircling or runningaround such periphery but leaving an unbulged part B of small dimension.Through one end B of the bulging B is a hole or perforation. A wire 0has its end soldered to the canister or casein the recess or groove A atpoint A preferably where the lapping of the body-of said canister orcase takes place or said wire 0 might be passed through a hole in thegroove A at same pointinto the canister and be knotted or looped on theinside so that it cannot be easily pulled out again. The wire 0 is thenpassed around the tin in groove or recess A and threaded through hole inend B of bulging B of the flanged or rim lid and the lid is turnedaround so that Wire 0 will be tightened in groove A. The canister orcase is now ready for soldering around the edge of the rim or flange ofthe 15 cover and at the perforation in end B which being done the loopor ring (3 is made on the end of wire' O and is placed -in depression orrecess B and retained therein by a label over the end of the canister orcase which is the bottom during the filling and now becomes the top.

To open the packed canister or case so prepared it is only necessary tobreak or tear through the label above the recess B and to 8 pull uponthe wire C by means of loop or ring 0. In the case of a canister ofpreserves or an easily handled case said loop 0 is conveniently placedover a nail or peg and the canister is pulled away from said peg. Thepull 0 upon the wire causes said wire to out the top of the metalthrough at the bulging B (where said bulging causes it to be thinnestand weakest) as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 and then to pull away from thesolder or fastening at A clear of the canister leaving a very small partB of the lid to form a hinge for said lid if desired. I

This improvement is shown anddescribed with reference to a circularcanister but vit too may be used for other shaped containers or cases ofsmall and large sizes as for sardine boxes and for the zinc linings ofmerchandise cases, &c. The Wire shown also is a circular wire but it maybe of other section say of triangular section.

I am aware that a self-opening can has been provided with a cover havingan annular channel entirely around its outer portion, a wire seated inand carried around said channel and then extended through a perforationtherein and provided with a looped operating end, and a flanged marginbeing formed on the top of the can-body and set up into said channel ofthe cover to protect and support the wire. I am also aware that it isold to provide a nearly annular slot in the top or cover of a can,leaving a portion of the cover intact, between the ends of the nearlyannular slot, to serve as a hinge, and then soldering over the said slotan annular sheet-metal strip having one end free so that the said stripcan be detached to release the cover and thereby open the can. I am alsoaware that the looped or ring end of a tearing Wire has been temporarilyconfined in an annular grooved portion of a can cover by means of aretaining clip having one end secured to the cover. It is also old tosolder a flanged cover onto one end of a can body having acircumferential groove in which is inclosed a tearing-wire surroundingthe can body and adapted to be drawn upon in such manner as to break theline of solder and open the can without breaking or tearing its cover.These forms of construction I do not claim and I would have itunderstood that my invention does not apply thereto, but it isrestricted to an annular groove or recess in the outer side of one endof the can-body, a wire fastened at one end in said groove or recess ofthe can-body and received also in a nearly annular recess or bulging onthe periphery of the can cover which is provided, further, with acentral cireular depression, one end of the wire being passed outthrough a perforation in the end of the annular recess of the cover andhaving its said end terminating in a loop that is received in thecentral circular depression of the cover and retained therein by alabel.

Having now particularly described and explained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is- The combination with the can body having in the outerside of one end the annular groove or recess A and the wire 0 secured tothe can body at a point in said groove, of the can cover having in itscenter the circular depression B and provided at the periphery with thenearly annular guide recess B in which the Wire (3 is received, the saidwire being carried around in said recess and out through a perforationin one end thereof and terminating at its outer end in a loop or ring 0that is inserted into the central circular depression B of the can coverand secured therein by a label, substantially as shown and described.

Dated this 26th day of November, 1894:.

WM. MERTON. Witnesses:

FRED WALSH, THOMAS JAMES WARD.

